The Making of an Advocate: How Brittnie Panetta Turns Compassion Into Change
- Feb 12
- 3 min read
By Brittnie Panetta
From the start, Brittnie Panetta chose a life of advocacy and has pursued it with intention. Raised on California’s Monterey Peninsula in a family deeply rooted in public service, she grew up immersed in the idea that professional skill carries civic responsibility. That belief became the foundation of a legal career dedicated to amplifying the voices of those who are often overlooked.
At a young age, Brittnie had a close relationship with her grandparents. Her grandfather, Joseph, a long-standing criminal defense attorney, and her grandmother, Anna, a retired teacher turned nonprofit advocate, showed her two important ways to support people in times of need. And, she had the opportunity to work alongside her grandmother, both as a volunteer and in fundraising.
Of her time working with her grandmother as a young volunteer, Brittnie says, “Many moments stick out to me from that time, and it’s hard to point to one specific catalyst. That said, the greatest takeaway for me was the importance of giving back to those who have no support.”
Before attending law school, Brittnie put the values she learned from her grandmother into action. She co-founded Festival Santa Catarina, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving social and economic conditions in Santa Catarina, Mexico. Through her collaboration with local communities and the Mexican government, she gained firsthand experience in building programs that last.
At Santa Clara University School of Law, Brittnie worked as a student attorney at the Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, where she assisted low-income clients with workers’ rights and landlord-tenant issues in both English and Spanish. It was here that she was ultimately inspired to focus on personal injury.
Now a mass torts attorney at Matthews & Associates, a nationwide personal injury firm, Brittnie focuses her work on representing some of the most vulnerable people in society. Her work has included representing people who have lost everything in a wildfire, agricultural workers exposed to toxic pesticides, families harmed by dangerous pharmaceuticals, and minors and incapacitated individuals navigating systems never designed to protect them.
Brittnie spent the beginning of her personal injury career working to achieve a settlement for children with neurological deficits caused by pesticide exposure. Most of the clients in the case were migrant workers living in low-income communities. Although she was able to bring the technical expertise of both the law and the science to the case, that meant very little without the cultural understandings and connections to the mothers representing their children.
“This was a completely different arena they entered into, with little experience and understandable hesitation of anything relating to the legal field,” says Brittnie. “It took patience and connection to move forward. To me, the value of cases like this one is more than a line one my resume; it’s the knowledge that I brought justice to a family in need.”
Brittnie has embraced the dual role she believes a legal career requires: that of an attorney and counselor. Furthermore, a win against a defendant is not the end goal. The true fight lies in driving lasting change that prevents the future recurrence of injustice.
Coming from a policy background, success is evident when regulations or industry standards develop from litigation. Although this takes time, it’s the continued fight that builds a legacy of legal advocacy.
Inspired by women like her grandmother, Anna, and by trailblazers who challenged entrenched inequities, like Sonia Sotomayor, Brittnie leads with both courage and purpose. In doing so, Brittnie Panetta is both practicing law and quietly yet persistently transforming it, ensuring that justice is extended to those who need it most.
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